By Coventry Rugby 
by Alex Didlick
Coventry bounced back in fine style with a commanding 52-17 victory away at Richmond. It was a performance defined by patience and power – a first half of missed chances followed by a second-half masterclass that blew the hosts away at the Richmond Athletic Ground.
Coventry’s intent was clear from the first scrum, earning an early penalty and setting the tone for a much-improved forward display. A scrappy lineout briefly halted their momentum, but the early exchanges belonged firmly to the visitors. Club Captain Jordon Poole was central to everything, making a dogged break that nearly produced the game’s first score. Moments later, he made no mistake, finishing off a well-executed maul to give Cov a deserved lead.
However, a handling error from the restart handed Richmond possession, and Dan Green’s high tackle produced the first yellow card of the match. The hosts capitalised immediately, with a concise lineout maul of their own as both hookers exchanged tries within eleven minutes.
Coventry’s response was swift. An excellent box kick from Barton forced Richmond deep, and the pressure told. David Opoku-Fordjour burst through with a superb line break, offloading to Nayagi, who released Barton to score under the posts – a flowing team try straight off the training ground.
But again, the restart proved Coventry’s undoing, handing momentum straight back to the home side. Richmond’s George Nugent powered through three tacklers to crash over and bring the game back to 14–12. Despite dominating possession and territory, Cov’s handling errors and set-piece inaccuracies kept the hosts in touch.
Referee Andy Rigley kept his cards busy, this time showing yellow to Richmond number 8 Sam Pim for the game’s second high tackle. Yet Cov couldn’t make their man advantage count – a messy lineout and obstruction call let Richmond off the hook. Another promising attack went begging just before the break, a knock-on on the five-metre line denying what looked a certain score. The first half ended 12–14, Coventry on top but without the clinical edge their performance deserved.
Under the lights in the second half, Cov came out flying. Within two minutes, the visitors clicked into gear with their most fluent move of the match – slick handling gave Ewan Baker the opportunity to stroll over the line in the corner, extending their lead.
Still, discipline issues lingered. Another misjudged box kick gave Richmond field position, and a run of four consecutive penalties ended with Senitiki Nayalo being sent to the bin in the seventh minute of the half. Richmond took full advantage, working the overlap perfectly for Chidera Obonna to finish in the corner.
As the game inched towards its conclusion, Coventry rediscovered their control. Matt Johnson muscled over after sustained forward pressure to restore a nine-point cushion. From there, the floodgates opened. Peter Sullivan danced over in the corner for his seventh try of the season to all but seal the game.
The returning Sam Maunder added his name to the headlines, scoring an excellent solo effort. Picking up the ball near the halfway line at the back of the scrum, he dummied once and sailed through the tiring defence to score in the corner, throwing the ball in the air jubilantly – three weeks of patient waiting had paid off in almighty fashion. Peter Sullivan extended the advantage in the 73rd minute with his second of the game, sending the contest far from Richmond’s reach.
A fantastic second-half display converted what could have been a similarly dominant first half. With the Heathrow regulars roaring overhead, Peter Sullivan was similarly roaring down below. He collected an interception from a flat attacking shape from Richmond to run the length of the field and score his second hat-trick in as many weeks.
By full time, Coventry had not only righted last week’s wrongs but done so emphatically. A 50-point showing, led by standout performances from Sullivan and Poole, leaves Alex Rae’s side full of confidence heading into their next test on the road to Hartpury.
Goal kicking:
Josh Thomas- 1/1
Tommy Mathews- 5/7
Callum Grieve- 1/3
Try Scorers:
Coventry Rugby- Jordan Poole (6), Josh Barton (21’), Ewan Baker (42nd), Matt Johnson (57’), Peter Sullivan (61’,73’, 77), Sam Maunder (64’)
Richmond Rugby- Alex Post (11’), George Nugent (25’), Chidera Obonna (48’)
Lineups:
Coventry Rugby- Toby Trinder, Jordan Poole ©, Eliot Salt, Dan Green, Senitiki Nayalo, Tom Ball, Onisivoro Sukani Nayagi, Morgan Strong, Josh Barton, Josh Thomas, Peter Sullivan, Api Bavandra, Oli Morris, David Opoku-Fordjour, Ewan Baker
Finishers: Murray Davidson, Aristot Benz-Salomon, Matt Johnson, Jack Shine, Mackenzie Graham, Sam Maunder, Tommy Mathews, Dafydd Rhys-Tiueti
Richmond Rugby- Chris Freeman, Alex Post, Luke Spring, Jake Monson, George Nugent, Ethan Benson, Xavier Hastings, Sam Pim, Alex Schwarz ©, Callum Grieve, Josh Addams, Ronnie Du Randt, Paddy Case, Chidera Obonna, Alex O’Meare
Finishers: Harry Hocking, Barnaby Vaughan, Jimmy Litchfield, Miles Wakeling, Jared Cardew, Freddie Charles, Jason Baggott, Tololima Savaiinaeakk
Referee: Andy Wigley
